Tendulkar not retiring from ODIs, say family and friends

MUMBAI/LONDON: Legions of Sachin Tendulkar's fans can heave a sigh of relief now with reports about the champion batsman's possible ODI retirement turning out to be mere rumours.

Speculation was rife with media reports claiming that Tendulkar, the highest run-accumulator in the history of international cricket, might retire from the shorter version of the game after the seventh and final match of India's ongoing ODI series at Lord's on Saturday.

Team India captain Rahul Dravid, however, rubbished the claims in his post-match press conference in London on Wednesday, dismissing the reports as "completely false".

The reports prompted BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty to get in touch with the player and the official said, "I've spoken to him and he said the reports have no substance. It's media speculation."

Further clarification came from Tendulkar's family with his wife Anjali saying that he would have told her if that was the case.

"The rumours about Sachin's retirement are not true. He could retire tomorrow but for that, we have to wait for him to say that. There is no point guessing it. How can anyone else say he is retiring from one dayers?" she was quoted as saying by a television channel.

"If he was to retire he would have told us first. Had Sachin had been retiring we would have been there at Lord's to watch the match," she said.